Method and system for directory assistance services

ABSTRACT

A mobile telephone, or personal communication services subscriber who wishes directory assistance services is connected in the conventional manner to an operator who identifies a destination telephone number desired by the subscriber. As known in the prior art, the operator then initiates a call connecting the subscriber to the destination telephone number. In a preferred embodiment, the operator locates a desired destination telephone number in a computer database, and can select automatic dialing of the located number. Further, rather than dropping all further involvement with the call, the preferred embodiment of the present invention continually monitors the connection thereby established for a predetermined DTMF signal issued by the customer, such as that obtained by pressing the “*” button. If such a signal is detected, the customer is transferred to a directory assistance operator, who can then provide whatever further assistance is needed (e.g., providing further directory assistance). If a busy signal or non-answering party is detected, a customer is given a plurality of options including leaving a recorded message or page, or a predetermined alphanumeric message or page for the called party. In this case, the system automatically tries, repeatedly, to deliver the recorded message or page and, optionally, confirms successful or failed message delivery to the calling party.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

[0001] The present application is a continuation in part of copendingapplication Ser. No. 08/555,222 filed Nov. 2, 1995, which is acontinuation in part of copending application Ser. No. 08/498,900, filedJul. 6, 1995, which is a continuation in part of copending applicationSer. No. 08/234,644, filed Apr. 28, 1994.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to systems for providing directoryassistance services. More particularly, the present invention relates toa directory assistance service with flexible connection options so thata caller can more readily communicate with a party that is presentlyunavailable

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Telephone directory assistance services have been available forthe past century. While improvements have been made over the decades,such systems are still poorly suited for many users, including inparticular, subscribers of mobile telephone services (e.g., cellular andpersonal communications service (“PCS”) subscribers).

[0004] In prior art directory assistance services, a customer dials anoperator and identifies the name and address of a party whose telephonenumber is desired. The operator then locates the number, using printeddirectories or a computer database, and provides the number to thecustomer. (The provision of the number is sometimes done by the liveoperator, but more typically is done with a synthesized voice responseunit that provides an automated voicing of the number.) After thecustomer's inquiry has been satisfied, the connection to the operator isterminated.

[0005] While satisfactory for most customers, this arrangement isill-suited for many mobile telephone and/or PCS customers. For one, suchcustomers are usually away from their general work environments (e.g.,in a vehicle), and thus may not have ready access to a pencil and paperin order to make a note of the desired number. (Even if such materialsare available, the customer may not find it convenient to interruptother activities, e.g., driving, in order to make a note.) In addition,the process of initiating a second call—to the desired party—entailsfurther manual operations (e.g., hanging up, waiting for another dialtone, and dialing) which may be a hindrance to the customer's otheractivities.

[0006] The present assignee has redressed certain of these difficultiesby providing a directory assistance service that eliminates the need tomake a note of the desired number, or undertake a redialing exercise.Instead, after determining the telephone number desired by the customer,rather than voicing it to the customer, the directory assistanceoperator proceeds to initiate a call to the desired party, and connectsthe new outgoing call to the original customer. This arrangementobviates the need for the customer to make a note of the voiced number,or to undertake a redialing exercise. However, the number can still bevoiced to the customer if desired.

[0007] Rather than dropping all further involvement with the call, as istypically done with most directory assistance systems, the assignee'sdirectory assistance system continually monitors the connection therebyestablished for a predetermined DTMF signal issued by the customer, suchas that obtained by pressing the “*” button. If such a signal isdetected, the customer is transferred to a directory assistanceoperator, who can then provide whatever further assistance is needed. Bythis arrangement, the press of a single button by the customer summonsfurther directory assistance, rather than the redialing procedurenormally required.

[0008] However, if the initiated call is not completed because a “busy”tone is received, or a continuous ringing signal for a non-answeringparty is received, then the customer must either immediately contact thedirectory assistance operator again (e.g., with the press of a singlebutton as was described above) or hang-up and re-connect to thedirectory assistance operator again at a later time by undertaking aredialing exercise.

[0009] If the caller re-connects to the directory assistance operator,the operator can re-initiate the call, but if the line is busy, or theparty is not answering, then the caller must either write down thedesired number, or call the directory assistance service again at alater time. Both of these options are un-satisfactory for many cellulartelephone customers as they disrupt the customer's activities.

[0010] In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a directory assistance service is provided which alleviatesthe busy signal and non-answering parties problems. For example, in oneembodiment, a caller who wishes directory assistance services isconnected in the conventional manner to a directory assistance operatorwho determines the destination telephone number desired by the caller.The operator and the system then initiates the call connection to thedestination telephone number for the caller.

[0011] If a busy signal (or any other non-ringing or intercept signal,e.g., re-order, disconnected number tone, tri-tone, etc.) is detected,an on-line call monitoring and reporting system drops the connection tothe busy called party, and a voice response unit plays a message to thecaller with the following options: (1) to leave a message for the busycalled party; (2) to listen to a voiced play back of the telephonenumber just called so the caller can write down the number for futureunassisted calls; (3) continue calling the requested party every Nminutes, where N is determined by the caller or set by default (e.g.,set by the service provider) ; (4) call the requested party again; (5)page the busy called party at another number; or (6) to return to thedirectory assistance operator for further assistance.

[0012] If the caller chooses option (1), the caller can record a voicemessage, or send an alphanumeric character message. The caller can alsochoose this option at any time by pressing the “M” (the number six) keyor other predetermined key(s).

[0013] The directory assistance service will attempt to contact the busycalled party at specific durations (e.g., once every half hour) toautomatically deliver the calling party's message (i.e., either arecorded voice or an alphanumeric message). After a certain number ofunsuccessful attempts (e.g., 10 attempts), the message delivery to thebusy party is canceled. The caller also has a “confirmation” optionwherein the directory assistance system calls the caller back to confirmsuccessful or failed delivery of the message.

[0014] If the calling party chooses option (2), the system provides anautomated voicing of the number to the caller. The caller can recordthis number for future unassisted calls to the called party. The callercan also choose this option at any time by pressing the pound or number“#” key twice or other predetermined key(s).

[0015] If the caller chooses option (3), the system will continuecalling the busy party at set intervals. The caller can also choose thisoption at any time by pressing the “C” (number two) key or otherpredetermined key(s).

[0016] If the caller chooses option (4), the system immediately redialsthe called party. If the line continues to be busy, the caller canrepeatedly select this option to continue redialing the called party.

[0017] If the caller chooses option (5), the system pages the calledparty. Like option (1), the caller also has a “confirmation” optionwherein the directory assistance system calls the caller back to confirmsuccessful or failed delivery of the page. The caller can choose from apredetermined set of alphanumeric character messages to send with thepage. The caller can also choose this option at any time by pressing the“P” (number 7 key) at any time or other predetermined key(s).

[0018] If the caller chooses option (5), the caller is returned to thedirectory assistance operator. If the caller has not responded after apredetermined time-out period, the system preferably defaults to option(5) and automatically returns to an operator. At any time the caller canpress the star “*” key to return to an operator. The directoryassistance operator can then provide further “live” assistance to thecaller.

[0019] If a ringing signal for a non-answering party is detected, anon-line call monitoring and reporting system would after apre-determined interval, mute (i.e., attenuate or remove) the ringingtone for the caller while the actual ringing of the called partycontinues. A voice response unit plays a message for the caller with thefollowing options: (1) to leave a message for the busy called party; (2)to listen to a voiced play back of the telephone number just called sothe caller can write down the number for future unassisted calls; (3) tocontinue calling the requested party at selected intervals; (4) to pagethe busy called party; (5) to return to audible ringing for the call; or(6) to return to the directory assistance operator for furtherassistance;

[0020] If the caller chooses option (1)-(4), the same scenariosdescribed above for the “busy signal” take place. If option (5) ischosen, the system continues ringing the called party. The systemdefaults to one of the options (e.g., option (5)) if the calling partydoes not make a selection within a predetermined time-out period.

[0021] The ability to leave a message or page that is automaticallydelivered to a busy, or non-answering party provides a number ofbenefits to the caller, the busy and/or non-answering party, and thedirectory assistance service. The caller does not have to record thecalled party's phone number, or initiate a second call to the directoryassistance service at a later time to try and contact the desired partywhose number is not initially known. The caller can also receiveconfirmation of successful or failed delivery of the message or page,relieving the caller of the burden of checking as to whether or not therecorded message actually did get delivered. Thus, interruptions to thecaller's activities are kept to a minimum, which is important when thecaller is using a mobile telephone or PCS device. Minimal interruptionsare also important to land line callers.

[0022] A caller can also leave a message for a busy party, and/or anon-answering party without an answering machine, neither of which isnormally possible. In addition, a message or page can be left with anon-answering party who is using another telephone service feature(e.g., call waiting) which would normally prevent a caller from making aconnection and leaving a message, even if the non-answering party had ananswering machine.

[0023] The called party will receive messages that could normally nothave been delivered. Thus, the called party is less likely to miss animportant message. The directory assistance service also benefits sincedirectory assistance operators can spend more time speaking to andconnecting new callers, instead of continuously interacting with acaller who is experiencing a busy signal, or a non-answering party.

[0024] In another embodiment of the present invention, a caller canprovide input choices by speaking the name of the input buttons that arenormally pushed. For example, if the caller was asked “to press or speakone” for a response, the caller could speak the word “one,” therebychoosing response number one. Therefore, a caller who encounters a busy(or other intercept signal, e.g., reorder, disconnected number, etc.) ornon-answering party for example, can leave a recorded message for theparty without any additional keypad input after dialing the directoryassistance service. Speaking the responses to menu questions offers asubstantial benefit over directory assistance services which requiretelephone keypad inputs. Mobile telephone customers who may be engagedin other activities (e.g., driving a vehicle) that make it inconvenientto continually press keys on the telephone keypad, can simply speakresponses to menu items.

[0025] The foregoing and additional features and advantages of thepresent invention will be more readily apparent from the followingdetailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026]FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the hardware used to implementone embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIGS. 2A-2E is a flow chart depicting the process by whichdirectory assistance messages for non-answering parties are provided toa customer in accordance with the FIG. 1 embodiment.

[0028] FIGS. 3A-3E is a flow chart depicting the process by whichdirectory assistance messages for busy parties are provided to acustomer in accordance with the FIG. 1 embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Overview of System

[0030] With reference to FIG. 1, a directory assistance center 10according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includesone or more T1 links 12 for connection to customer networks, a privatebranch exchange (PBX) 14, and a channel bank 16 for coupling to aplurality of operator telephones 18. Each operator is further equippedwith a terminal 20 that includes a video display unit and a QWERTYkeyboard with associated dialing pad. The operator terminals are coupledto a terminal server 22, which in turn is connected over a data network24 to a database server 26. The data network further connects to a PBXhost computer 28 and a voice response unit (VRU) 30. The data networkconsists of, but is not limited to, a Local Area Network (LAN)supplemented by a number of point-to-point serial data links.

[0031] The T1 links 12 provide connection between the directoryassistance center 10 and the cellular carrier's switching center,through which incoming directory assistance calls are received. The T1links 12 further provide connection to the network over which outgoingcalls are placed (which network may be different than that used forincoming traffic).

[0032] The PBX 14 is conventional, and its operation is governed byinstructions stored in the PBX host computer 28 These instructionssimply implement the processes hereafter described. In the preferredembodiment, the PBX supports digital T1 telephone circuits, while inother embodiments other PBXs can of course be used. Included in the PBXis digital signal processing circuitry which provides the requisiteconference capability (described below), and dual tone multi frequency(DTMF), and multi frequency (MF) tone generation/detection capabilitiesand complete call progress analysis (detection and reporting).

[0033] Incoming calls received by the PBX 14 are connected to anavailable operator via a T1 circuit 32 that is connected through thechannel bank 16 to an operator's telephone headset 18. The operatorheadset can be that of a standard telephone (e.g., shown in FIG. 1), aheadset which is attached to the operator's head and allows “hands free”operation (not shown in FIG. 1), or any other variety of headsets knownin art. If no operator is available when a call is received, the call isqueued until an operator becomes available. The queuing and calldistribution is standard Automatic Call Distribution (ACD).

[0034] The terminal server 22 simply serves as an interface betweenserial devices, such as the operator terminals 20, and the data network24, allowing the terminals to log in as devices on the network.

[0035] The database server 26 provides operators with the means tosearch for a customer's desired party, and determine the appropriatetelephone number. In the preferred embodiment, the database provides thecapability to search not just by name and address, but also by type ofgoods/services and/or geographical region. (E.g., the preferred databasecan answer queries soliciting the names/numbers of shops carrying modelrocketry supplies in southeast Portland, Oregon, or of Chineserestaurants on a given street.) Data indexed in this fashion is usuallynot commercially available, so the present assignee starts with acommercially available database file (e.g., the Directory AssistanceDatabase Source available from U.S. West), and enriches it by addingfurther data manually.

[0036] Desirably, the results of the database search presented on theoperator's terminal 20 are not alphabetized prior to display, but ratherare presented in the order located by the database search engine. (Ifdesired, a deliberate randomization of order could be effected beforedisplay. Businesses at the beginning of the alphabet are thereby notunduly favored by customers using the directory assistance service.)

[0037] The database software itself is conventional. The presentlypreferred best mode is to use a relational database, such as isavailable from Oracle. However, much simpler software can alternativelybe used, such as DBase 4.

[0038] The voice response unit (VRU) 30 is incorporated into the systemto play the constantly repeated parts of an operator's speech, namelythe various greetings and closings. Not only does this system provide avoice-saving and monotony-relief function for the operators, it performsa ‘branding’ function (i.e. the pre-recorded messages incorporate thename of the telephone company through which the customer was routed tothe directory assistance service), and it also reduces the amount oftime an operator is actually connected to a customer.

[0039] The VRU 30 is connected via the data link 24 to the PBX host 28and, via one or more T1 spans 32, to the PBX 14 itself. More than oneVRU can exist in a system. At appropriate stages in a call progression,the PBX host 28 initiates a voice path connection between the VRU andthe PBX such that the caller, or the caller and the operator, are ableto hear whatever pre-recorded speech is played on that circuit by theVRU 30. It then instructs the VRU, via the data network, what type ofmessage to play, passing data parameters that enable the VRU to locatethe message appropriate to the call state, the service-providingtelephone company, and the operator. The recording density used is highenough to provide a sufficient quality of message playback that mostusers of the system should be unaware they are listening to a recording.

[0040] The PBX 14 detects ringing and busy signals on outgoing linesfrom the PBX host 28 using its complete call progress analysiscapability. The voice recording and playback capabilities of the VRU 30are utilized as described below to provide a caller the option to leavea recorded message for a busy or non-answering called party. The VRU'svoice record and playback capabilities along with the PBX's dialingcapabilities also are utilized to try and contact a busy ornon-answering party at a later time and deliver messages and/or pagesrequested by a customer as described below. Preferably, the caller'sphone number is reported to the PBX 14 in a conventional manner as astring of data sometimes referred to as the announced numberidentification (ANI). The PBX 14 also utilizes a string of datasometimes referred to as the dialed number identification string (DNIS)as is conventionally known for identifying a number dialed by the caller(i.e., to the center 10) possibly with translation.

[0041] Method of Operation

[0042] Customers of a particular telephone company simply dial theaccess digits established for directory assistance by that company.Examples of typical access digits are “*555” and “555-1212” and “411”.

[0043] The participating telephone company's own switching system willthen reroute the call to the directory assistance service center 10 (viaa T1 channel), where it appears as an incoming call.

[0044] Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) logic is used to queue incomingcalls in an incoming call queue, (if necessary) and distribute calls tooperators in the order in which they are received, and such that thecall traffic is distributed evenly among the operators.

[0045] When a call is connected to an operator, the VRU 30 (alsoconferenced into the call) plays a greeting message, using a messagepre-recorded by the connected operator. Both the operator and thecalling customer hear the message, which incorporates the name of theservice or company to which the customer is a subscriber (in otherwords, the call is “branded”). The message ends with a prompt, thuscuing the customer to volunteer what information they are seeking.

[0046] When the automated greeting is complete, the VRU is disconnected,and the operator and the customer are left connected by a 2-way speechpath. From this point, the caller is interacting with a live operator.

[0047] In the event the VRU is non-functional (for whatever reason), theincoming call is connected to the operator and a short “trill,” or “zip”tone is played to indicate that a caller is on the line. (Note that onceoperators are logged in to the system, they wear headsets, and havetheir telephones 18 permanently off-hook. Their telephones do not ringwhen a call is presented.) The operator then speaks a greeting andprompt in real time, instead of the VRU playing a message.

[0048] If the caller requests information concerning, for example, localtheater performances, the operator speaks a response to the request.After the query is answered, the caller is released from the call, andthe operator becomes available to handle further calls.

[0049] If the caller is seeking directory assistance, the operatorengages in live dialogue to establish the name and other pertinentinformation of the wanted party, and then initiate a database searchusing the operator terminal 20 and associated database server 26. In theevent of an unsuccessful search, the operator will use alternativesources, such as the Electronic White Pages (EWP) or even printeddirectories.

[0050] The operator can connect the caller to the wanted party's numberusing one of several possible methods of call transfer, which includeprimarily Blind Transfer (also known as “connect”) and Hotline Transfer(also known as “conference connect”) described below, and also severalsub-options to these call transfer methods. Alternatively, at thecaller's option, the operator or VRU 30 can simply voice the number tothe caller.

[0051] In either case, the call transfer is invoked by sending asequence of digits (that includes the wanted party's number) to the PBXhost 28. The conventional method of doing this is simply dialing thedigits on the operator's telephone handset (having first depressed the“flash” key to obtain dial tone). This method is always available. Amuch quicker and more accurate call completion method is generallypreferred: the operator highlights the desired database entry on thescreen of the terminal 20, and then initiates Blind or Hotline transferto that number by entering a few keystrokes on the terminal keyboard. Inthis case, the database server 26 transmits the same digit sequence aspart of a message to the PBX host 28, via the network 24.

[0052] Automated Call Completion Method

[0053] More specifically, in the preferred automated call completionmethod, the operator locates the desired listing in the database, andpresses the “enter” key at the operator terminal 20 to select thelisting. Whereupon, the operator terminal 20 displays a main callcompletion menu along with a selected listing. One example of such amenu is as follows:

[0054] Main Call Completion Menu

[0055] 1) Connect with Transfer back

[0056] 2) Connect with NO Transfer back

[0057] 3) Conference connect with Transfer back

[0058] 4) Conference connect with NO Transfer back

[0059] 5) Provide number before connection

[0060] 6) Supervisor

[0061] 7) Manual Dial

[0062] 8) No connect

[0063] Options (1) and 2) of the main call completion menu initiate the“Blind Transfer” to the selected listing as described more fully below.Options (3) and (4) initiate the “Hotline Transfer” described more fullybelow. Option (5) initiates an automated (e.g., synthesized or recorded)voicing of the wanted number to the calling party by the VRU 30. Option(6) is selected by the operator to summon the operator's supervisor forassistance handling the call. Option (7) overrides automated dialing ofthe selected listing, and allows the operator to manually dial a numberat the operator terminal 20. Option (8) cancels call completion.

[0064] When the operator selects option (7), the operator terminal 20displays a call completion sub-menu such as follows:

[0065] Manual Dial Call Completion Sub-Menu

[0066] Enter telephone number ______

[0067] 1) Connect with Transfer back

[0068] 2) Connect with NO Transfer back

[0069] 3) Conference connect with Transfer back

[0070] 4) Conference connect with NO Transfer back

[0071] 5) Provide number before connection

[0072] 6) supervisor

[0073] 7) Change Number

[0074] 8) No connect

[0075] Upon selection of any of the connection options (1)-(4) of eitherthe main call completion menu or manual dial call completion submenu,the database server 26 sends a data packet to the PBX host 28, via thenetwork 24. The data packet contains the appropriate station ID and thedigit sequence of the selected listing or manually entered telephonenumber in the case of option (7). The PBX host 28 creates a conferencebridge with the caller and the called party, then either completes the“Blind Transfer” in the case of options (1) or (2) or continues with the“Hotline Transfer” in the case of options (3) or (4). In the case ofoptions (1) or (3), the tone triggered return transfer operation whichis described more fully below is enabled during the call. In the case ofoptions (2) or (4), the tone triggered return transfer or transfer backoperation is disabled as also discussed more fully below.

[0076] Blind Transfer Connection

[0077] “Blind Transfer” is the normal means by which an operatorestablishes a connection between the caller and the wanted party'snumber. As soon as the PBX host 28 receives the Blind Transfer command(whether from the database server 26 or the operator's telephone set18), an attempt is made to establish a route out of the PBX 14. Ifsuccessful, the circuit is seized and the address digits propagated,using the protocol the circuit is configured for: the operator isreleased from the call and made available to receive further calls. Ifthe VRU 30 is operational, it is commanded to play a closing message(pre-recorded by the just-released operator). If the VRU is notavailable, the operator speaks the closing message before initiating thetransfer. Optionally, the outgoing call set-up can be initiated sometimebefore the closing message completes (e.g., at a time equal to theaverage or expected time of call set-up prior to the completion of theclosing message). The VRU status is known by whether the call wasinitiated by a VRU-played greeting, or by zip tone. Failed routingattempts cause reorder tones to be returned to the operator's handset,or an error indication to be returned to the database server 26(depending on how the PBX host received the transfer command).

[0078] Hot Line Transfer Connection

[0079] Like Blind Transfer, the “Hotline Transfer” method ofestablishing a connection between the caller and the wanted party'snumber can be initiated by the operator from either the telephonehandset 18 or from the data terminal keyboard 20. The difference is thatthe operator is not automatically released from the call in a HotlineTransfer. Instead, he/she is conferenced into the call by the PBX 28 andis able to monitor its progress. Using either the telephone handset orthe data terminal keyboard, the operator may withdraw from the callafter verifying its establishment, or may cause the called circuit to bereleased and then re-engage in dialogue with the caller. HotlineTransfers are used when a caller requests that the operator “stay on theline.”

[0080] Tone-Triggered Return Transfer

[0081] If, after initiation of a transfer (whether or not it succeeds),and at any time before the caller hangs up, the caller requires furtheroperator assistance, the caller can perform a tone signal triggered,return transfer back to an operator (hereinafter referred to as “tonetriggered return transfer” or “transfer back”). This is done simply bypressing the “*” (star) key or another designated key on the caller'stelephone once or twice (depending on the network, and as instructed bythe operator in the closing message).

[0082] The star or other designated key tone(s) is detected by a DTMFreceiver (allocated in the PBX 14 for the entire duration of the call),and causes the caller to appear as a fresh call to the ACD logic.Detection of the DTMF tone results in the caller being placed in apriority queue, from which the caller is connected to an availableoperator. Whereupon the PBX host 28 instructs the connected VRU 30 toplay the appropriate pre-recorded return greeting. Note that the call isallocated to an operator according to the ACD algorithm, and may or maynot be the same operator that previously handled this call.

[0083] The priority queue is different from the incoming call queue inwhich the caller was initially placed. The ACD algorithm allocates callsto operators out of the priority queue first. The priority queue isprocessed until it reaches some predetermined level (e.g., the priorityqueue is empty). When an operator becomes available and the priorityqueue has reached the predetermined level, then new incoming calls areassigned to the operator from the incoming call queue. This givesprecedence to calls already in progress (as compared to newly initiatedcalls to the directory assistance service).

[0084] The “tone triggered return transfer” feature enables callers whohave been transferred to recall an operator if the transfer does notcomplete satisfactorily (for example, receipt of reorder tone, busytone, operator intercept tri-tones, ring-no-answer, silence, or wrongnumber). It also enables a caller to request a follow-on call at thecompletion of a successfully completed call without incurring the delayor difficulty of re-dialing into the system.

[0085] It will be recognized that, in the preferred embodiment, thedesired number is not voiced to the customer unless explicitlyrequested. Sometimes a customer uses the “tone triggered returntransfer” feature to request that the number be voiced if, for example,he or she finds a follow-up call is necessary later.

[0086] Process for Non-Answering Party Connection Options

[0087] A flow diagram illustrating the sequence of events in a directoryassistance system with connection options for a non-answering partyaccording to the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in theflowchart in FIGS. 2A-2E.

[0088] When a call is received by the directory assistance center 10 asa result of a caller dialing the access code for the directoryassistance service (step 38 of FIG. 2A), the call is either assignedimmediately to an operator if any operator is available, or the PBX 14queues the caller's call in the incoming call queue and eventuallyassigns the call to an operator as operators become available asdescribed above (step 40 of FIG. 2A). When the caller is connected, theVRU 30 plays the normal directory assistance greeting (step 42 of FIG.2A), and the caller and the directory assistance operator speak (step 44of FIG. 2A). The operator 40 locates the number of the party desired bythe caller and transfers the call (step 46 of FIG. 2A) as describedabove. The VRU plays a closing message and the caller is connected to anoutgoing circuit to connect to the desired party (step 48 of FIG. 2A).At any time the caller can press the star “*” key to talk again to alive directory assistance operator (step 50 of FIG. 2A). The PBX uses aplurality of dedicated Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) to continuouslymonitor each of the lines connected to the PBX. Each DSP is assigned oneor more lines to monitor continuously.

[0089] If the destination number rings for a pre-determined duration(e.g., 6 rings or a predetermined time period (e.g., 40 secs.) withoutanswering) after a call is transferred by the directory assistanceoperator to a destination number (step 52 of FIG. 2B), the ringing toneis muted (step 54 of FIG. 2B) for the calling party by the PBX 14. Theringing signal actually continues on the circuit to the called party,however, the audible ringing tone is no longer sent to the caller.

[0090] After muting the audible ringing tone for the caller, the PBX 14instructs the VRU 30 to play a message to the caller providing availableoptions for the caller (step 56 of FIG. 2B). For example, in thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, the following options areincluded for the caller by the voice playback unit for a non-answeringcalled party:

[0091] Non-Answering Called Party Initial Main Menu

[0092] 1. If you would like to leave a message for this non-answeringparty, please press (or speak) one now.

[0093] 2. If you would like to receive the number of this non-answeringparty, please press (or speak) two now.

[0094] 3. If you would like to call this non-answering party every Nminutes, please press (or speak) three now.

[0095] 4. To page this non-answering party, please press (or speak) fournow.

[0096] 5. To continue holding for an answer, please press (or speak)five now, and stay on the line. Audible ringing will be returned to yourcall.

[0097] 6. To hang up, please press (or speak) six now, or hang up yourreceiver.

[0098] 7. To return to an operator for further assistance, please pressstar at any time.

[0099] However, more or fewer options could be included in this menu.Further, the menu can be arranged as a multi-level menu tree, with menusof additional sub-options accessed by selecting a main option from theinitial main menu. In another embodiment of the present invention, thefollowing options are included in the initial main menu for the callerby the VRU 30 for a non-answering called party:

[0100] Non-Answering Called Party Alternative Main Menu

[0101] 1. If you would like to leave a message for this non-answeringparty, press the “M” key at any time.

[0102] 2. If you would like to receive the number of the non-answeringparty, press the pound key twice at any time.

[0103] 3. If you would like to call the non-answering party every Nminutes, press the “C” key at any time.

[0104] 4. To page the non-answering party, press the “P” key at anytime.

[0105] 5. To continue holding for an answer, stay on the line. Audibleringing will be returned to your call.

[0106] 6. To hang up, hang up your receiver.

[0107] 7. To return to an operator for further assistance, please pressstar at any time.

[0108] Message Option (1)

[0109] If a caller chooses option (1) by pressing the one key on thetelephone, or by pressing the “M” (six key) at any time if the alternateinitial main menu is used 58, the VRU 30 plays a submenu which asks thecaller if they wish to leave a recorded message, an alphanumeric messagetyped by a directory assistance operator, or an alphanumeric messagefrom a pre-determined set of alphanumeric messages for the called party.

[0110] If the caller wishes to leave a recorded voice message for thenon-answering party, the VRU 30 plays another submenu which includesnotifying the caller that additional fees will be charged. The caller isgiven an option of accepting this service by pressing the one key (i.e.,“yes”), or declining this service by pressing the two key. Other keysfor yes and no could also be used (e.g., nine key for yes, and six keyfor no, etc.) If the two (i.e. “no”) key is pressed, the nextappropriate submenu (e.g., to choose a pre-determined alphanumericmessage). is played for the caller by the VRU 30. If the caller desiresto leave a message (i.e., a recorded voice message or a pre-determinedalphanumeric message) and agrees to accept the charges for messagedelivery, the VRU 30 terminates the connection to the ringingnon-answering called party (step 60 of FIG. 2B), and queries the callerfor message information (step 62 of FIG. 2B). For example, in thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, the query information toleave a recorded message would include:

[0111] Recorded Message Queries

[0112] (a) Please leave a message for ______

[0113] (b) This message is from ______

[0114] (c) The message to be delivered to “response from (a)” from“response from (b)” is ______

[0115] (d) Do you want to configure the time interval and number ofattempts to contact “response from (a)”? Press (or speak) one for yes,or two for no.

[0116] (e) Do you want the system to call you back and confirmsuccessful or failed delivery of this message? Press (or speak) one foryes, or two for no.

[0117] As indicated, the caller also has the option of configuring thetime interval and number of attempts used to contact the non-answeringparty to deliver the recorded message. If the caller does not want toconfigure call back parameters, default call back parameters are used(e.g., at time intervals set to every half-hour, and number of attemptsset to ten).

[0118] If the caller chooses option (e) after recording a message, theVRU 30 and PBX 14 automatically contact the caller at a later time toconfirm the recorded message was delivered, or the message deliveryfailed. If this option is chosen, the VRU 30 records the caller's phonenumber to allow the directory assistance center to contact the caller ata later time.

[0119] The VRU 30 will attempt to contact the non-answering party atspecific durations (e.g., once every half hour) to automatically deliverthe calling party's message. Preferably, the VRU 30 utilizes the MessageDelivery With Called Party Type Detection described more fully below.For managing the message delivery attempts, the VRU 30 records a messagedelivery status and a count of failed delivery attempts. When a messagedelivery attempt succeeds, the message delivery status is set tosuccess. If a message delivery attempt is unsuccessful, or the call isanswered, but the called party is not available, the message deliverystatus is set to failure and the count of failed delivery attempts isincremented. When the mail delivery status is set to success, or thecount of failed delivery attempts reaches the number of attempts set bythe caller or by default, the recorded message delivery is canceled. Themessage delivery status (i.e., success or failure) is reported to thecaller when the VRU 30 and the PBX 14 calls the caller back (if the callback and confirm option is set by the caller or by default).

[0120] The caller can also leave an alphanumeric message (step 62 ofFIG. 2B) for a non-answering party by choosing option (1) from theNon-answering Party Main Menu (described above) and a suboption foralphanumeric messages under a submenu for option one. One sub-optionallows the caller to dictate an alphanumeric message which will be typedby a directory assistance operator. The caller is returned to anoperator to dictate the message if this sub-option is chosen. A secondsub-option allows the caller to choose an alphanumeric message from aset of predetermined alpha numeric messages.

[0121] A dictated or pre-determined alphanumeric message is used whenthe number for the non-answering party is for a Personal CommunicationsService (PCS) device, FAX, or other device which can receive and displayalphanumeric text.

[0122] For example, in the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the predetermined set of alphanumeric messages includes:

[0123] Predetermined Alpha numeric message queries

[0124] The following alphanumeric message are available. Please choosean alphanumeric message query by pressing the appropriate key:

[0125] 1. Please call me back at ______ (caller inputs phone number).

[0126] 2. Please call home.

[0127] 3. Please call the office.

[0128] 4. Please call me back after ______ (caller inputs time).

[0129] 5. Please call me back on ______ (caller inputs date).

[0130] However, more or fewer options could be included in thealphanumeric message query submenu. As can be seen from the alphanumericmessage query submenu, there are multiple pre-determined alphanumericmessages (2,3), and multiple messages which require numeric input from acaller (1,4,5) (e.g., require a telephone number). If the caller choosesan alphanumeric submenu item which requires numeric input, the numericinput is completed by pressing the appropriate keys on the telephonicdevice. The dictated or predetermined alphanumeric message is deliveredin the same manner as was described above for the recorded voicemessage. The success or failure of an alphanumeric message delivery canalso be verified by a call back to the caller at the caller's option aswas described above.

[0131] Called Number Play Back Option (2)

[0132] If the caller chooses option 2 from the non-answering calledparty menu above, or presses the pound or number “#” key twice if thealternate initial menu is used (step 64 of FIG. 2C), the VRU 30 willplay a submenu for option 2 which includes voicing the number of thenon-answering party to the caller (step 66 of FIG. 2C). The caller canthen record the number to call the non-answering party at a later timewithout further directory assistance. The submenu for option 2 may alsocontain more or fewer options.

[0133] Connect At N Minute Interval Option (3)

[0134] If the caller chooses option 3 from the non-answering calledparty menu described above, or presses “C” (two key) if the alternativeinitial menu is used (step 68 of FIG. 2C), the VRU 30 will play asubmenu for option 3 which includes having the directory assistanceservice connect back to the non-answering party every N minutes (step 70of FIG. 2C), where N is preferably determined by the caller. The submenupreferably has the following form:

[0135] (a) The connect interval (i.e., N) is ______

[0136] (b) This message is from ______

[0137] (c) The time limit for connect every N minutes is ______

[0138] (d) The phone number for calling back is ______ You may now hangup, or press the star key to return to an operator.

[0139] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, theconnect interval N is not configurable by a caller, and a defaultconnect interval N is set by the service provider. The submenu foroption 3 may also contain more or fewer options. After the caller hasset the options for connecting every N minutes, the caller can hang upor press the star key to have the operator place another call.

[0140] In the preferred embodiment, the directory assistance center 10attempts to connect to the called party at the connect interval set bythe caller or by default. If there is still no answer in the time limitset by the caller or by default, the directory assistance center 10connects back to the caller and the VRU 30 reports failure to connect tothe called party.

[0141] If the called (non-answering) party answers on any of thedirectory assistance center's attempts to connect within the time limit,the VRU 30 plays the recorded message as follows:

[0142] Hello, this is <service provider name>, you have a call from<name of caller>, please stay on the line while we connect you to <nameof caller>

[0143] where <service provider name> is the name of the directoryassistance service or the name of the telephone service provider of thecaller, and <name of caller> is the name input by the caller in responseto the Connect Every N Minutes Submenu above. The directory assistancecenter 10 will then attempt to connect the called party back to thecaller.

[0144] If the caller does not answer the call back within apredetermined period or a busy signal or other intercept signal isreceived, the VRU 30 voices the following to the called party:

[0145] We have been unable to connect you with <name of caller>, howeverthe phone number at which you can reach <name of caller> is <caller'sphone number>.

[0146] where <name of caller> is the name provided by the caller inresponse to the Connect Every N Minutes Submenu described above, and<caller's phone number> also is the number provided by the caller inresponse to the submenu or the ANI data string from the caller'soriginal call to the directory assistance center 10.

[0147] In an alternative embodiment, the directory assistance center 10first connects to the caller before making each attempt to connect tothe called party at each connect interval. The directory assistancecenter 10 is thereby sure to be able to connect the called party to thecaller if the called party answers. In either case of the preferredembodiment or the alternative embodiment, the VRU 30 preferably voicesan explanation of the operation of the connect every N minutes optionwhen it is selected by the caller.

[0148] Pave Option (4)

[0149] If the caller chooses option 4 from the non-answering calledparty menu, or presses “P” (seven key) at any time if the alternateinitial menu is used (step 72 of FIG. 2C), the VRU 30 will play asubmenu for option 4 which includes sending a recorded voice page or apre-determined alphanumeric text page using a pager number (step 74 ofFIG. 2C). The submenu for option 4 may also contain more or feweroptions. The recorded voice page and pre-determined alphanumeric textpage are selected from submenus, sent and confirmed in a manner similarto that discussed for the recorded voice message and pre-determinedalphanumeric message described for option 1 above. The directoryassistance service sends the page to a pager, PCS, or other numbercapable of accepting a page associated with the non-answering party. Thecaller also has the option of obtaining a pager, PCS, etc., number froma directory assistance operator.

[0150] Return to Ringing Option (5)

[0151] If the caller chooses option 5 from the non-answering calledparty menu (step 76 of FIG. 2D), the audible ringing is returned to thecaller (step 78 of FIG. 2D). If there is still no answer after anadditional period of the defined number of rings with no answer (e.g., 6rings as defined by the directory assistance center) (step 52 of FIG.2B) , the VRU 30 again mutes the audible ringing tone 54 and re-playsthe recorded Non-Answering Called Party Menu described above (step 56 ofFIG. 2B).

[0152] Hang Up Option (6)

[0153] The caller can terminate the call by hanging up at any time, orby choosing option (6) and then hanging up (step 80 of FIG. 2D). Whenthe caller hangs up, the connection to the called party and thedirectory assistance service is dropped (step 82 of FIG. 2D)

[0154] Return to Operator Option (7)

[0155] If the caller selects option (7) by pressing the star key orseven key as indicated in the menu, the caller is returned by thedirectory assistance center 10 to a live operator as described above fora tone-triggered return transfer.

[0156] Default Action

[0157] In the preferred embodiment, the directory assistance center 10defaults to one of the options if the caller does not make any inputsfor a pre-determined time period (e.g., ten seconds). The preferreddefault option is to return audible ringing to the line for the caller(i.e., option (5) is the default). Alternatively, the default option isto return the caller to a live directory assistance operator (step 86 ofFIG. 2A) as if the caller had selected option (7). If the return tooperator default is used, the PBX 14 ceases ringing to the called party.The VRU 30 will then play the proper return greeting (step 88 of FIG.2A), and the caller again speaks with a directory assistance operator(step 44 of FIG. 2A) . Also, at any time during or after hearing theNon-Answering Called Party Menu and/or submenu options, the caller canpress the star “*” key (step 90 of FIG. 2D) to again talk to a livedirectory assistance operator.

[0158] If the called party answers (step 92 of FIG. 2E) the call at anytime during voicing the menu and submenu options, the VRU 30 will stopplaying the menu and the connection to the called party will proceed asusual (step 94 of FIG. 2D). The caller and the called party will beconnected, and can then engage in a voice conversation. The PBX 14continues to continuously monitor the connection during theconversation. If the caller presses the star key at any time, the calleris returned to the operator (step 86 of FIG. 2A)

[0159] Post Call Termination Activity

[0160] After the called party terminates the call (step 96 of FIG. 2E)(i.e., the called party hangs up), the caller can stay on line forfurther directory assistance options or immediately press the star key“*” (step 50 of FIG. 2A) to again talk to a live directory assistanceoperator. If the caller stays on the line after call termination, theVRU 30 is connected to the caller and voices the following calltermination menu:

[0161] The number of the party you called is <called party's number>.You can press the star key to return to an operator, or press the poundkey to repeat this message, or hang up.

[0162] where <called party's number> is the number of the called partyof the just terminated connection. If the caller presses the star key inresponse to this menu, the directory assistance center returns thecaller to an operator as described above for a tone-triggered returntransfer. If the caller presses the pound key, then the VRU 30 againvoice the menu (including the number of the called party).

[0163] In alternative embodiments, the VRU 30 can play an alternativecall termination menu with more or fewer options. For example, playingthe number of the called party back to the caller can be an option whichmust be selected by the caller. The menu also can include a furtheroption to have the directory assistance center disconnect from thecaller.

[0164] The directory assistance center 10 terminates the connection fromthe caller only when the caller hangs up (step 80 of FIG. 2D) oraffirmatively chooses a menu option for the directory assistance centerto disconnect, or the caller does nothing for a predetermined time outperiod (e.g., 30 seconds)

[0165] Sending a Called Number Page

[0166] After the completed call has been terminated (e.g., the callerhas terminated the call), the directory assistance center 10 in thepreferred embodiment sends an alphanumeric page using a paging protocol(e.g., telocator alphanumeric paging protocol (TAP), telocator dataprotocol (TDP), etc.) to the caller's telephonic device if the caller'stelephonic device is capable of accepting such a page. The directoryassistance center determines if the caller's telephone is capable ofaccepting a page by checking attributes of the caller's telephone numberin the directory assistance database. The page includes the name for thecalled party (e.g., Smith, Jane M.) and the telephone number for thecalled party (e.g., 503-234-5678). If the caller has telephonicequipment capable of accepting paging protocols (e.g., a mobile phone, aPCS device, a pager, etc.) and storing such paging information, the nameand number of the called party is then automatically stored in thecaller's telephonic device. When the caller later desires to again callthe called party, the caller can recall the stored number from his/hertelephonic device and attempt to complete the call without help from thedirectory assistance center.

[0167] Process for Busy Party Connection Options

[0168] If a busy signal is detected by the PBX 14, a process comprisingthe steps 98-150 shown in FIGS. 3A-3E is performed. These steps aresimilar to those just described for a non-answering party. For example,in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the followingoptions are provided for the caller by the VRU 30 (step 116 of FIG. 3A)for a busy called party:

[0169] Busy Signal Called Party Initial Main Menu

[0170] 1. If you would like to leave a message for this busy party,please press (or speak) one now.

[0171] 2. If you would like to receive the number of this busy party,please press (or speak) two now.

[0172] 3. If you would like to call this busy party every N minutes,please press (or speak) three now.

[0173] 4. To page this busy party, please press (or speak) four now.

[0174] 5. To call the busy party again, please press (or speak) fivenow.

[0175] 6. To hang up, please press (or speak) six now or hang up yourreceiver.

[0176] 7. To return to an operator for further assistance, please pressstar at any time.

[0177] Again, more or fewer options could be included in this menu andsubmenus could be used. In an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention, the following options are included for the caller by thevoice playback unit for a non-answering called party:

[0178] Busy Called Party Alternative Main Menu

[0179] 1. If you would like to leave a message for this busy, press the“M” key at any time.

[0180] 2. If you would like to receive the number of this busy, pressthe pound key twice at any time.

[0181] 3. If you would like to call the busy party every N minutes,press the “C” key at any time.

[0182] 4. To page the busy party, press the “P” key at any time.

[0183] 5. To call the busy party again, press the “1” key at any time.

[0184] 6. To hang up, hang up your receiver.

[0185] 7. To return to an operator for further assistance, please pressstar at any time.

[0186] The options for a busy party (i.e., steps 98-148 FIGS. 3A and 3B)are similar to those just described for a non-answering party. However,when a busy signal is encountered, the connection to the busy party isdropped since the called party was busy, and not non-answering. As aresult, the caller cannot continue ringing the called party's line(e.g., as the caller could by selecting option 5 in the Non-AnsweringCalled Party Menu and description above). Instead, when the callerselects option (5) in the Busy Signal Called Party Menu (step 152 ofFIG. 3C) , the PBX 14 initiates a new call to the called party (step 154of FIG. 3C). The caller thus can repeatedly call the called party byselecting option (5) in the Busy Signal Called Party Menu each time abusy signal is received, until the called party's line is no longer busyand a subsequent new call to the called party succeeds in ringing thecalled party's line.

[0187] In the case where the caller takes no action within apredetermined time period (e.g., 10 seconds), the directory assistancecenter 10 can default to one of the options. The preferred defaultaction is to call the busy called party again (as for option (5)).Alternatively, the default action is to return the caller to a directoryassistance operator as for option (7).

[0188] Message Delivery with Called Party Type Detection

[0189] As was described above, if the caller leaves a message or pagefor a busy party; the VRU 30 will attempt to deliver the message or pageat a later time. At intervals definable by the caller and/or thedirectory assistance service (e.g., every 30 minutes), the VRU 30attempts to deliver the message or page by calling the non-answering orbusy party.

[0190] If during any attempt to deliver a message or page the calledparty answers, or the called party's answering machine or automatedanswering service answers, a determination is made if the called partyis a “live person” or is an answering machine or automated answeringservice. The VRU detects whether the answering called party is: (1) acalled party with a residential phone or personal communications devicecapable of voice; (2) a called party with a business phone; or (3) ananswering machine or automated answering service (e.g., voice mail,etc.). However, the VRU detection of the called party is not limited tothe equipment in this list. The VRU can be configured to detectadditional types of called parties.

[0191] The VRU examines the energy and duration of the voice responsewhen the call is answered to make a determination of what the answeringcalled party actually is. For example, a called party on a residentialphone is typically characterized by a short burst (e.g., <1 secondduration) of voice response energy (e.g., by answering “hello . . . ”).A called party on a business phone is characterized by a longer burst(e.g., >1 second and <3 seconds of duration) of voice response energy(e.g., by answering, “good afternoon, this is <business name>, can Ihelp you?”). An answering machine or automated answering service ischaracterized by a long burst (e.g., >3 seconds duration) of voiceresponse energy (e.g., for an answering machine, “hi, this is me, Ican't come to the phone right now, if you want to leave a message,please leave your name, number . . . ”, for an automated answeringservice “your call is being answered by service XYZ, the party you aretrying to reach is unavailable, please leave a message . . . ”). Upondetermination of the type of answering called party, the VRU will playthe appropriate message or message menu.

[0192] When the VRU detects a residential phone or PCS device capable ofaccepting two-way voice information, the VRU plays a message menu thatincludes:

[0193] This is the directory assistance center, we have a message for<called party's name>, if this is <called party's name> please pressone. If this is not <called party's name>, but <called party's name> isnearby, please press two to hold this message for <called party's name>.Press three to continue at any time. If this is not <called party'sname>, please press four, and the directory assistance center will tryagain to contact <called party's name> at a later time.

[0194] where <called party's name> is the name of the called party inputin response to the message options submenu.

[0195] When the VRU detects a business phone, the VRU plays a messagemenu that includes:

[0196] This is the directory assistance center, we have a message for<called party's name>. If you can transfer this call to <called party'sname>, please press one, then transfer this call to <called party'sname>. Please press two after the call has been transferred to <calledparty's name>. If this is not <called party's name> but <called party'sname> is nearby, please press three to hold this message for <calledparty's name>. Press four to continue at any time. If <called party'sname> is not available or you cannot transfer this call to <calledparty's name> please press five, and the directory assistance centerwill try again later to contact <called party's name>.

[0197] where <called party's name> is the name of the called party inputin response to the message options submenu.

[0198] When the VRU 30 detects an answering machine or automatedanswering service, the VRU 30 waits for the “beep” or “tone”, and thendelivers the message left by the calling party. The VRU 30 also recordsthe date and time the message was delivered.

[0199] When the “live” answering called party is reached, the calledparty is told that they have messages. The VRU 30 will play a menu whichincludes:

[0200] 1. press the one key to hear the recorded message.

[0201] 2. press the two key to replay the recorded message.

[0202] 3. press the three to connect back to the party who left you amessage.

[0203] 4. press the star key for operator assistance.

[0204] However, more or fewer menu items could also be used. If thecalled party presses one, the recorded message from the caller isplayed. The called party can replay the message multiple times bypressing the two key. If the called party presses three, an attempt ismade to reconnect the called party to the calling party who left themessage. The called party can request operator assistance at any time bypressing the star key (i.e. for a star return) . A sub-menu may beincluded under each of the menu items to further define availableoptions for the called party.

[0205] If the message or page delivery is unsuccessful, (i.e. the calledparty didn't answer), the directory assistance center 10 records theunsuccessful delivery attempt. After a predetermined number of attempts(e.g., 10, as defined by the caller and/or the directory assistancecenter), the message or page delivery is canceled, and a failed messageor page delivery status is recorded as described previously.

[0206] If the caller has chosen the option of having the directoryassistance system contact the caller to confirm the message or pagedelivery, then the directory assistance center will contact the callerusing the caller's phone number recorded earlier (i.e., the ANI datastring from the caller's original call to the directory assistancecenter 10). The confirmation message will be sent immediately after asuccessful message or page delivery. If the message or page delivery isunsuccessful, the failure notification message will be delivered after afailure of the predetermined number of unsuccessful attempts as definedby the caller and/or directory assistance center.

[0207] Billing for Directory Assistance Service

[0208] When a caller uses any of the features described above, thecaller is given an approximate idea of the cost of the service, and isasked if they agree to be billed for the service. For example, thecaller may be told by the VRU 30, “A recorded message can be left for anadditional $1.75 message delivery fee, plus connect time charges if any.Do you agree to accept this charge? Press one for yes or speak ‘yes’now.” The billing can optionally include a fee (such as the messagedelivery fee stated in the example), and preferably includes the cost ofany connect time charges incurred when performing the service (e.g.,long distance tolls and mobile phone air time charges incurred whenattempting to deliver a recorded message).

[0209] If the caller agrees, the caller is billed through his/her ownservice provider for any costs incurred. In addition, any long distancecharges, cellular, PCS, or page, charges, directory assistance charges,local connect time charges, etc. that are incurred by the directoryassistance center are recorded for billing to the caller. The directoryassistance center records all such transactions in their database, andthen provides billing data to the appropriate service provider for thecaller.

[0210] Additional Directory Assistance Options

[0211] A caller is also provided with a number of options for call backsand other message or page delivery. For example, a caller may not wishto have a non-answering or busy party call them back on the device inwhich they initiated the call to the directory assistance center (e.g.,a cellular phone was used to call the directory assistance center, andthe caller must pay for calls both to and from this cellular phone).Thus, the directory assistance center allows the caller to select from anumber of options to receive a call back from a non-answering or busyparty (e.g., enter the number of a land line telephone device instead ofa cellular phone).

[0212] Caller Accepts Called Party Charges Service

[0213] In another embodiment of the present invention, the directoryassistance center provides a service to obtain phone numbersspecifically for cellular phones, PCS and other communications devicesof a desired party that are not directly connected to a dedicated landtelephone line. A caller can request such a number from the directoryassistance operator. The directory assistance center will then try tomake the proper connection to the communications device of the calledparty.

[0214] In yet another directory assistance service, a service isprovided that allows parties to only receive calls from callers thathave agreed to pay all connection and air-time charges. For example, acaller may wish to contact a called party on a mobile or cellular phone.It is typical for a party who subscribes to telephonic service formobile or cellular phone to pay for connection and air-time for bothincoming and outgoing calls. A called party may not wish to accept acall from a caller if the called party has to pay for incomingconnection and air-time charges. To address this problem, the directoryassistance center maintains in their databases a listing of parties whowill not accept calls from a caller if the caller does not pay allcharges for the call. When a caller desires to contact such a party, thedirectory assistance center will inform the caller that the party he/sheis trying to reach will not accept a call unless the caller pays allcharges. The call will be connected only if the caller agrees to pay allcharges.

[0215] Option Selection by Voice

[0216] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a caller hasthe option of not only pressing a key in response to any of the menuspresented by the voice recognition unit, but also speaking the responseto any or all menu/submenu items. For example, the menu item may say (aswas shown above):

[0217] press the one key or speak the word “one” to leave a message forthis non-answering party.

[0218] The caller could then press the one key, or speak the word “one”to leave a recorded message. A voice response unit interprets spokencommands from a caller. Speaking the responses to menu questions offersadvantages to cellular telephone customers who may be engaged in otheractivities (e.g., driving a vehicle) that make it inconvenient to presskeys on the telephone keypad.

[0219] The caller also has the option of customizing the message or pagedelivery using voice inputs. The caller can set a number of options(e.g., number of delivery attempts, etc.) by speaking numbers associatedwith the menu/submenu options.

[0220] Menu Repeat Option

[0221] In some alternative embodiments of the invention, each of theabove described menus can include as an option for selection by thecaller (or called party for message delivery menus) to have the VRU 30repeat the menu. This option preferably is voiced in the menu, such asby the following:

[0222] (8) If you would like to have this menu repeated, press (orspeak) eight now.

[0223] Personalized Directory Service

[0224] In a further embodiment of the invention, the directoryassistance center 10 provides personalized handling of directoryassistance calls based on the caller's phone number (i.e., based on theANI data string transmitted by the telephone network to the PBX 14 withthe incoming call). In particular, the PBX 14 assigns the call to anoperator based on the caller's phone number. The database serverpreferably maintains a database of caller ANIs, which associateattribute values relating to attributes of the caller with the caller'sANI For example, the attribute values can identify the caller'spreferred language (such as Spanish for a spanish speaker), or that thecaller is a preferred customer. The attribute values associated with thecaller's ANI also can specify data for the voiced greetings, closings,and menus in the above described processes. For example, the caller'sname, personalized sets of options for the menus, and default optionsfor the menus can be specified.

[0225] When a call is received at the PBX 14, the PBX retrieves theattribute values associated with the ANI of the call from the databaseand allocates the call to an operator accordingly. For example, if theattribute value identifies the caller as being a Spanish speaker, thePBX 14 routes the call to a Spanish speaking operator. If the attributevalue identifies the caller as a preferred customer, the PBX 14 routesthe call to one of group of more experienced operators or prioritizesthe call in call queue(s).

[0226] Additionally, the VRU 30 voices the various greetings, closings,and menus based on the caller's phone number. The VRU 30 retrieves theattributes associated with the caller's ANI from the database. The VRU30 then voices greetings, closings, and menus personalized according tothe data associated with the caller's ANI at the appropriate times inthe processes shown in FIGS. 2A-2E and 3A-3E. For example, where anattributes value associated with the caller's ANI specifies the name ofthe caller (i.e., <caller name> in the following greeting), the VRU 30voices greetings and closings, such as, “Hello, Mr. (Ms.) <caller name>,your directory assistance call is being handled by <service provider oroperator name>, how can we help you?” As another example, where theattribute values specify default options (e.g., for connect interval,time limit, call back number, etc.) of the connect every N minutesoption), the directory assistance center 10 applies these optionswithout having the VRU 30 voice submenus to the caller for setting theseoptions.

[0227] The attribute values to be associated with caller's phone numbersin the database (such as the phone numbers of Spanish speakers, defaultdirectory assistance options, etc.) can be obtained by the directoryassistance center from the telephone provider. The telephone providercan gather this data, for example, from surveys sent with billingmaterials, or other means.

[0228] In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principlesof our invention may be put, it should be recognized that the detailedembodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limitingthe scope of our invention. Rather, we claim as our invention all suchembodiments as may come within the scope and spirit of the followingclaims and equivalents thereto.

We claim:
 1. An enhanced method of providing telephone directoryassistance service at a directory assistance center, comprising thesteps: (a) receiving a customer call from a calling customer; (b)connecting the calling customer to a directory assistance operator; (c)locating a destination telephone number of a desired party wanted by thecalling customer in a computer database; (d) initiating a telephone callbetween the calling customer and the destination telephone numberresponsive to operator selection of the destination telephone number andone of a plurality of connection options, at least one of the connectionoptions including the following steps: (e) monitoring said telephonecall for a predetermined call status signal of a predetermined callstatus duration and, (f) after said predetermined call status durationof predetermined call status signal has been detected, playing arecorded menu of options for the calling customer, the recorded menuallowing the calling customer to select from a plurality of options witha predetermined caller input signal; (g) monitoring said telephone callfor said predetermined caller input signal issued by the callingcustomer responsive to said recorded menu; and (h) taking action basedon said predetermined caller input signal issued by the callingcustomer.
 2. The method of claim 1, where the predetermined signal is aringing signal, the method further comprising: detecting the existenceof said ringing signal; muting the ringing signal for the callingcustomer while continuing to ring the destination telephone number; andrepeating steps (f)-(h).
 3. The method of claim 2 which includesreturning audible ringing to the calling customer and repeating steps(e)-(h).
 4. The method of claim 1, where the predetermined signal is abusy signal, the method further comprising: detecting the existence ofsaid busy signal; and dropping said telephone call to said destinationtelephone number.
 5. The method of claim 1 where the plurality ofoptions comprises: leaving a recorded voice message for a desired party,leaving a pre-determined alphanumeric message for the desired party,leaving a dictated message for the desired party, playing an audio“voicing” of the number of the desired party, calling the desired partyback every N-minutes, where N-minutes is chosen by the calling customer,leaving a recorded voice page for the desired party, leaving apre-determined alphanumeric page for the desired party, hanging up, orbeing returned to a directory assistance operator.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: determining whether the calling customerwishes to record a voice message for a non-answering party which will bedelivered at a later time, and if so, terminating said telephone call tothe destination telephone number, and allowing the calling customer torecord the voice message to be delivered to the non-answering party at alater time.
 7. The method of claim 6 which further includes allowing thecalling customer to determine how many attempts will be made to deliverthe recorded voice message.
 8. The method of claim 6 which furtherincludes calling the calling customer back at a later time to confirmsuccessful or failed recorded voice message delivery.
 9. The method ofclaim 6 where the recorded voice message is a recorded voice page. 10.The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining whether thecalling customer wishes to leave an alphanumeric message for anon-answering party which will be delivered at a later time, and if so,terminating said telephone call to the destination telephone number, andallowing the calling party to leave an alphanumeric message to bedelivered to the non-answering party at a later time.
 11. The method ofclaim 10 in which the alphanumeric message is created by the directoryassistance center from voice dictation by the calling customer.
 12. Themethod of claim 10 in which the alphanumeric message is selected from apredetermined set of alphanumeric messages.
 13. The method of claim 10in which the alphanumeric message is an alphanumeric page.
 14. Themethod of claim 10 which further includes calling the calling party backat a later time to confirm successful or failed alphanumeric messagedelivery.
 15. The method of claim 10 which further includes allowing thecalling customer to determine how many attempts will be made to deliverthe alphanumeric message.
 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:determining whether said predetermined caller input signal is areturn-to-operator signal, and if so, having a PBX reassign an operatorto the calling customer, playing a return greeting for the callingcustomer, and re-connecting the calling customer to a directoryassistance operator.
 17. The method of clam 16 wherein thereturn-to-operator signal is a DTMF tone for the star key on atelephonic keypad.
 18. The method of claim 1 in which the predeterminedcaller input signal is a voice response from the calling customer. 19.The method of claim 1 in which the predetermined caller input signal isa DTMF tone response.
 20. The method of claim 1 which includescontinuously monitoring said telephone call using a dedicated monitoringdevice.
 21. A method of providing telephone directory assistance serviceat a directory assistance center, the directory assistance center incommunications with a calling customer, and a telephonic serviceprovider providing telephonic services to the calling customer, thesteps comprising; providing a plurality of directory assistance servicesto the calling customer, the directory assistance services includingproviding a number of a desired party, leaving a message for the desiredparty, paging the desired party, and connecting the calling customer tothe desired party; and providing billing information to the telephonicservice provider providing telephonic services to the calling customerfor all directory assistance services provided by the directoryassistance center to the calling customer.
 22. The method of claim 21which includes leaving a recorded voice message for the desired party.23. The method of claim 21 which includes leaving a dictatedalphanumeric message for the desired party, where the alphanumericmessage is dictated to a directory assistance operator at the directoryassistance center.
 24. The method of claim 21 which includes billing theservice provider of the calling customer for message delivery, services,page delivery services, connection time to the directory assistanceservice, and connection time to the desired party.
 25. A method ofproviding telephone directory assistance service at a directoryassistance center, the telephone directory assistance service includingdelivering a message to a called party comprising the steps: completinga telephonic connection to a destination telephone number of the calledparty to deliver said message; detecting a duration of voice responseenergy at the destination telephone number; classifying an answer to thetelephonic connection at the destination telephone number out of aplurality of types of answer; and taking a different delivery actionaccording to the type of answer.
 26. The method of claim 25 wherein thestep of taking a delivery action comprises for at least one of the typesof answer: playing a predetermined menu containing a plurality ofoptions selectable by a party at the destination telephone number foraccepting delivery of said message.
 27. The method of claim 25 whereinthe types of answer comprise an answer by a residential party, an answerby a business party, and an answer by an automated answering equipment.28. The method of claim 25 wherein the types of answer comprise ananswer by a residential party, the method comprising: where the type ofanswer is the answer by a residential party, playing a menu with a setof options including at playing said message, and holding until thecalled party arrives.
 29. The method of claim 25 wherein the types ofanswer comprise an answer by a business party, the method comprising:where the type of answer is the answer by a business party, playing amenu with a set of options including at least transferring to anextension of the called party, and playing said message.
 30. The methodof claim 25 wherein the types of answer comprise an answer by automatedanswering equipment, the method comprising: where the type of answer isthe answer by an automated answering equipment, playing said message onsaid telephonic connection.
 31. A method of directory assistance thatincludes providing a plurality of services to a calling customer, theservices including connecting a calling customer to a directoryassistance operator, the steps comprising: providing a first queue tosequence calling customers to available operator; providing a secondqueue, different from the first queue, to sequence calling customers whohave been returned to an operator by a directory assistance serviceusing a predetermined DTMF tone; servicing the second queue until thesecond queue reaches a predetermined level; and servicing the firstqueue until the first queue until the first queue is empty.
 32. Themethod of claim 31 in which the predetermined level for servicing thefirst queue is an empty level in the second queue.
 33. A method ofdirectory assistance that includes providing a plurality of services toa calling customer, the steps comprising: providing a directoryassistance service to a calling party that provides the numbers oftelephonic devices which are not telephonic devices connected to adedicated land telephone line; locating a number of a desired telephonicdevice that is not connected to a dedicated land telephone line usingsaid distinct directory assistance service; and connecting said callingparty to said desired telephonic device using said number.
 34. Themethod of claim 33 in which the telephonic device not connected to adedicated telephone line include mobile phones, pagers, and personalcommunication services devices.
 35. A method of directory assistancethat includes connecting a calling customer to a desired number whereinthe calling customer is being provided telephonic services by atelephonic service provider and the desired number is assigned to atelephonic device not connected to a dedicated land telephone line, thesteps comprising: asking if said calling customer will accept allcharges for connection to said desired number, and if so connecting thecalling customer to the desired number which is assigned to a telephonicdevice not connected to a dedicated telephone line, and providingbilling information to the telephonic service provider providingtelephonic service to the calling customer for all charges for saidconnection.
 36. The method of claim 35 in which the telephonic devicenot connected to a dedicated telephone line includes mobile phones,pagers, and personal communication services devices.
 37. A method ofdirectory assistance providing directory assistance service at adirectory assistance center, where the directory assistance center is incommunications with a calling customer, and the calling customer isidentified at the directory assistance center by a calling customertelephone number, the method comprising: locating a destinationtelephone number for the calling customer; initiating a telephonicconnection between the calling customer and the destination telephonenumber; monitoring the telephonic connection for a termination signalfrom the calling customer; and upon detection of the termination signal,sending an alphanumeric page from the directory assistance center to thecalling customer telephone number, said page including the destinationtelephone number and name of a party associated with the destinationtelephone number.
 38. The method of claim 37 where the alphanumeric pageis sent with a predetermined paging protocol.
 39. The method of claim 38where the predetermined paging protocol is Telocator Alphanumeric PagingProtocol (TAP).
 40. The method of claim 38 where the predeterminedpaging protocol is Telocator Data Protocol (TDP).
 41. A method ofdirectory assistance where a calling customer has been connected to acalled party over a connection initiated by a directory assistancecenter, the calling customer connected to the called party with atelephonic device capable of receiving and storing pages, the methodcomprising: upon termination of the connection by the calling customer,receiving an alphanumeric page from the directory assistance center,said alphanumeric page including the destination telephone number andname of a party associated with the destination telephone number; andstoring said alphanumeric page in the calling customer telephonicdevice.
 42. The method of claim 41 further comprising: retrieving thealphanumeric page stored in the calling customer telephonic device; andcalling the called party using the information contained within theretrieved page.
 43. The method of claim 41 where the alphanumeric pageis sent with a predetermined paging protocol.
 44. The method of claim 43where the predetermined paging protocol is Telocator Alphanumeric PagingProtocol (TAP).
 45. The method of claim 43 where the predeterminedpaging protocol is Telocator Data Protocol (TDP).
 46. The method ofclaim 41 where the calling customer telephonic device is a mobiletelephone.
 48. The method of claim 41 where the calling customertelephonic device is a personal communications service device.
 47. Amethod of directory assistance providing a directory assistance serviceat a directory assistance center, where the directory assistance serviceis a call back service chosen by a caller in which the directoryassistance center attempts to contact a called party, who is unavailableto the caller, the method comprising: attempting to contact the calledparty who is unavailable to the caller on a first telephonic connectionat a predetermined interval; upon successfully contacting the calledparty, connecting to the caller on a second telephonic connection;determining whether caller desires to speak with the called party, andif so connecting the caller on the second telephonic connection to thecalled party on the first telephonic connection to complete the callbetween the caller and the called party.
 48. The method of claim 47, themethod further comprising, allowing the caller to determine thepredetermined interval at which the directory assistance center willattempt to contact the called party who is unavailable.
 49. The methodof claim 47, where the caller can select the failed number of attemptsand the predetermined interval in which the directory assistance centerwill try to reconnect to the called party who is unavailable, the methodfurther comprising, attempting to contact the called party who isunavailable at the predetermined interval; determining whether thecalled party is unavailable, and if so recording a failed attempt; andupon exceeding the number of failed attempts selected by the caller,terminating the attempts to contact the called party who is unavailableat the predetermined interval, and informing the caller that thedirectory assistance center did not successfully contact the calledparty before exceeding the selected number of failed attempts.
 50. Amethod of providing personalized telephone directory assistance serviceat a directory assistance center, comprising: maintaining a database oftelephone numbers in association with attribute values, the attributevalues relating to attributes of telephone subscribers having thetelephone numbers; receiving a customer call from a calling customer;identifying an originating telephone number of the customer call;retrieving an attribute value associated with the originating telephonenumber from the database; and allocating the customer call to adirectory assistance operator based on the attribute value associatedwith the originating telephone number.
 51. The method of claim 50wherein the attribute value identifies a language spoken by thetelephone subscriber, the method further comprising: assigning thecustomer call to a directory assistance operator who is a speaker of thelanguage.
 52. The method of claim 50 wherein the attribute valueidentifies the telephone subscriber as a preferred customer, the methodfurther comprising: prioritizing the customer call in relation to othercalls to the directory assistance center.
 53. A method of providingpersonalized telephone directory assistance service at a directoryassistance center, comprising: maintaining a database of telephonenumbers in association with attribute values, the attribute valuesrelating to attributes of telephone subscribers having the telephonenumbers; receiving a customer call from a calling customer; identifyingan originating telephone number of the customer call; retrieving anattribute value associated with the originating telephone number fromthe database; and playing personalized automated audio according to theattribute value, the personalized automated audio being specific to thetelephone subscriber whereby different personalized automated audio isplayed to at least some of the calls received at the directoryassistance center.
 54. The method of claim 53 wherein the personalizedautomated audio comprises greetings, and closings.
 55. The method ofclaim 53 wherein the personalized automated audio comprises a menuhaving a set of options based on the attribute value, whereby adifferent menu is played to at least some of the calls received at thedirectory assistance center.
 56. The method of claim 55 wherein the menucomprises a set of options for actions in response to a failure toconnect with a desired party, the method further comprising: locating adestination telephone number of the desired party wanted by the callingcustomer in a computer database; initiating an attempt to telephonicallyconnect the calling customer to the destination telephone number;monitoring the attempt to detect a predetermined status signalindicative of failure to telephonically connect the calling customer tothe destination telephone number; if the predetermined status signal isdetected, playing the menu to the calling customer; monitoring thecustomer call for input from the calling customer responsive to the menuand indicative of one of the options; and taking the action for theoption indicated by the input.